Description

CPU

For the Enthusiast Intel build we chose the newly released Intel Coffee Lake i5-8600k as our processor.

CPU Cooler

To cool the i5-8600k while overclocking we selected the be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 4 to match our case. The Dark Rock Pro 4 is an excellent choice for our build aesthetically and will allow us to reach our maximum potential for overclocking without watercooling.

Motherboard

To allow overclocking on the processor, we set the parametric filters for Z370 ATX motherboards that support up to 64GB of DDR4 memory, six SATA 6Gb/s devices, multiple expansion cards, and crossfire or SLI functionality.

Memory

With our increased budget we selected 16GB of RAM. The parametric filter finds the best price on 16GB kits of memory that are within Intel’s recommended specifications from DDR4-2666 to DDR4-3200.

Storage

Using the parametric filters this build will incorporate an m.2 SSD with at least 500GB of space and a minimum 3TB of mechanical storage at 7200rpm.

GPU

With this budget we decided to go all out on the graphics card. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti is one of the single best cards on the market right now. At 1080p or even 1440p you will not have any problems with AAA games and the 1080 Ti is perfectly suited for VR gaming as well. When using a GTX 1080 Ti you should consider stepping up your monitor to a 120/144hz screen for the best gaming experience.

Case

All of our components are housed in the Thermaltake View 37 Riing Edition case. This case has a unique side panel, room for enthusiast CPU coolers, watercooling radiators, and front panel USB3.0.

PSU

For our power supply, we're using a parametric selection of well-reviewed fully and semi-modular units, all of which are 80+ Gold certified and provide more than enough power for this system while at stock clocks or overclocking.

Comments
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Nothing about the build, but BE CAREFUL. The gpu was being sold by an amazon seller called smartercase and THEY ARE A SCAM!!! Many people including myself never received our items. Amazon has been contacted and I am getting a refund but now I have to find another more expensive gpu, be careful everyone.

No, now if you go to the amazon page for it, amazon has displayed a new seller with good reputation. Sorry a bit misleading. Was more of just a warning to always be careful, but now it looks like its fine! Also seems the build isnt using the ZOTAC brand anymore so also should be good, i ended up just spending a bit more and getting the GIGABYTE OC 1080 ti

What does the compatibility note: "The motherboard M.2 slot #1 shares bandwidth with a SATA 6.0 Gb/s port. When the M.2 slot is populated, one SATA 6.0 Gb/s port is disabled" mean? I'm thinking of doing this build and I'm pretty new to this stuff.

It means when you put the M.2 SSD that's on the list into the M.2 slot on the motherboard, one of the SATA ports (which hard drives and non-m.2 SSDs use) are disabled. This is because the M.2 slot shares PCI-E lanes with the SATA port that's being disabled.

that's probably your cooler, you are trying to everclock 1.6 GHZ, which is alot, W/O a liquid cooler.
I'd go with a corsair H100i or a NZXT Kraken H62.
If you are willing to spend more for a cooler and better cooler, you could get a Thermaltake Floe-Riing

Is there a suggested wifi card (PCI vs USB)? Not sure how to choose or if it is compatible. Also, has anyone used this case? I see a lot of mixed reviews on it and was looking for some input. Thank you.

Ok so, if you want a pretty good case for an amazing price, I would recommend the Cooler Master - MasterBox TD500 ATX Mid Tower Case. It goes for bout exactly 100 dollars CAD and has 4 rgb fans inside of it. I used to have the case and I added 2 more fans in it. Overall, it was a really good case which comes at an amazing price. Would easily recommend it to you.

The 1080 ti in this build is basically overkill as is the 1080. If I were you I would go for a 1070 ti because it's performance is pretty close to the 1080. Look it up and it'll save you quite a bit of money. It's the "best bang for your buck". Not that the 1070 isn't enough but it's just a better deal to go with the 1070 ti than just the 1070 and 1080. It's a great middle line.

That case has been known to scratch easily because of the window not being tg but rather acrylic. If anybody wants to build this I would recommend along the lines of a Fractal Design Meshify C tg or NZXT H500 not I.

wouldn't 550watt power supply be a little too low for this build, esp if overclocking? I get that it can prob get you by, but seems like it would be best to play it safe and get 650w since this is such a good build that spending 30 bucks extra on a power supply shouldn't be that big of a deal, right?

The mother board is a bit disappointing. For this price point I would have expected a nicer mother board from Asus for example. It is quite disappointing that so much money was spent on the case for aesthetics. There are plenty of cases that are just as nice but a lot cheaper e.g. NZXT H500/700. The mother board was supposedly picked for overclocking but if you ask me, you would be better off buying a aesthetically pleasing Asus/gigabyte/MSI mother board and spending less on the case.

These are more basic parts so if you look up how to build a gaming pc from scratch it will most likely show you how to build it. It would be another case if there was water cooling or something else of that more complicated sort to install. Also this case can be organized very well so look up the case and how to build a pc using that.

Power supply seems weak, under full load the 1080Ti can pull 300W+ alone. Having less that 250W headroom for CPU and all other functions is ridiculous. Why not add $30 and get a 650W+ PSU that will not have to be running 100% so much. I guarantee that that 550W will be running its fan loud whenever you do anything demanding. Secondly, an i5 seems like a strange choice for an "enthusiast Intel build". Most i7 aren't even enthusiast level in my eyes.

To save the price difference. It won’t make a huge difference since most games still depend on single threaded IPC, hyperthreading is not as good as real cores, and the i5 overclocks better generally.

The i7 is only worth it if you’re going to be streaming or editing video (though really Ryzen would be a better choice). But for just gaming and general use the i5 will be just as fast and 70% the cost